What is Frankenstein AI?

Even 200 years after its publication, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein still resonates deeply. This brilliant story gave birth to science fiction, and is a powerful metaphor for our collective anxieties about technology and its capacity to escape our control. Artificial intelligence activates those fears maybe more than any other technology ever has. So, what might happen if we invited AI to dinner with us? Over the course of this intimate, participatory experience, we’ll dig deeply into the tensions between human and machine in an immersive, multi-sensory environment that mixes food, conversation, and artificial intelligence.

Frankenstein AI: a monster made by many explores the social and ethical implications of artificial intelligence and the ways we interact with it. Developed in collaboration with the Columbia University School of the Arts’ Digital Storytelling Lab, Frankenstein AI challenges participants to consider our collective responsibility as humans to build a shared narrative around AI.

After our world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival as part of the 2018 New Frontier line up, we’re bringing the project to Amsterdam in collaboration with IDFA, the world’s leading documentary festival, and the world renowned National Theater. For this fall’s piece, we’ll be inviting AI to dinner…

At Sundance, our “monster” came out of isolation to learn from humans by observing them interacting in real life.

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A look behind the scenes at Sundance

Make sure to check out the following documentation:

Pt I — Project Overview

Pt II — Global Challenge Design Brief

Pt III — Plug & Play Dinner Party Template

Pt IV — An Example of a Dinner Party Staged by a Challenge Participant

Interested in exploring new forms and functions of storytelling?

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